Page 107 of Merciless

“Nah, I ain’t gonna go blow this cocky fucker’s head off down at Reirdon Construction. I ain’t a madman. Having Ava’s calmed me down, you know that.”

“I’ve seen it, yeah, but I wanna make sure it’s still holding true with what’s going on right now.”

“It is, believe me.”

“I’m gonna need more than that.”

“Or, what?” he asks, looking a mix of amused and also curious to hear what I’m gonna say.

“I’m living in your home now, we can have this conversation every time I see you, if that’s how you want to play it.”

He shakes his head in dismay. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

“Oh, I do.”

He turns back to fixing the breakfast. “Look, I ain’t gonna lose it. It’s why I gotta do this, get out there and be hands-on. Can’t be relegated to my office with calls and paperwork when I got all this intensity wracking my body, all this waiting eating away at me. It’s me sublimating and all that, so it don’t go down a destructive route.”

Well, shit. “Yeah? For real?”

He eyes me over his shoulder and flashes me a shit-eating grin. “Yeah, fucker. Impressed, ain’t ya?”

“Yeah, I am. Nicely done, Prez.”

“Told you, I’ve learned a thing or two over the years.”

“So, does this mean you’re gonna stand down on Priest, let me and the others take it?”

He nods, sending relief through me. “Found out Spartan ain’t gonna be there neither. He’s sending one of his best down instead. With the war coming, neither of us can take the risk. Everybody who is gonna be involved is hellbent on making Priest pay and putting him and his to ground, so I know justice is gonna be served for what he did to Rox, and what he’s put you and your woman through. I can live with that.”

He starts plating the food and looks out at me. “Charlotte’s a real hardass, tough woman. Didn’t even bat an eye at the initial animosity coming off me, just called me right on it.”

“Yeah, that’s her. She don’t pull punches.”

He brings a bowl with half a grapefruit cut up in it beside the plates. “What’s that for?” I ask, curiously.

“It’s mine.”

“You ain’t having the eggs?”

“Nah, ain’t feeling it this morning.” He finishes up plating and takes a beat before moving to the rest, leaning against the counter. “Does Charlotte know about that dark side you got? Like the real depth of it?”

“Yeah, she’s seen it up close. Back then and now.”

He frowns in thought, trying to wrap his head around it. “And she just accepts it? Rox ain’t down with that in me.”

“It’s different. Roxana knows that ain’t who you really are, so she didn’t want you twisting yourself into being that way. You ain’t a killer, that kind of thing gets to you, hurts you, and messes you up any time you gotta go that route. Me? I’m a whole different animal. It is who I am. Hell, it’s who I’ve always been, who I always will be. I’m done making apologies for it and trying to atone for it because, at the end of the day, being that way has kept my family alive, helped to even keep Thorns going, helped you. It’s a part of me now, Ax. It is for Char too. We recognize that in each other and it’s one of the reasons we get along so well.”

“You’re the same,” he realizes.

“Exactly, yeah.”

He smiles. “Well, at least something good came out of this Priest threat. Who knows if she ever would’ve come back into your life without his manipulations.”

“She would’ve, just probably not for a long time.”

“Meant to be, huh? That’s some straight-up romantic shit right there, Dealer,” he teases.

“Kinda like you blowing my daughter kisses, yeah?”

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